Samsung’s Lee Min-hyouk takes over as mobile design head

Samsung‘s ranks has seen a slight reorganization within its ranks, with former vice-president for mobile design Lee Min-hyouk rising one step higher. He will be replacing Chang Dong-hoon who offered to from his post last week.

Samsung is naturally mum over the reasons why its former mobile design lead has chosen to step down, but there are speculations that it is due to the Galaxy S5, which is believed to have been received rather poorly compared to its predecessors. The latest flagship is seen to have failed to generate as much hype as the previous Galaxy S generations, partially due to the lack of memorable hardware or software features. The perforated rear cover design has also earned Samsung some negative feedback, with some likening it to the iconic band-aid. In comparison, the Korean manufacturer’s attempt to draw attention away from its plastic designs with the Galaxy Note 3’s faux leather material still managed to garner some praises.

Lee might be facing challenging times ahead, but his resume seems to speak well of his capabilities. In 2010, he became Samsung’s youngest senior executive. This was in no small part thanks to his hand in designing the Galaxy smartphones that helped put Samsung on the smartphone map. Before that, the designer worked as part of Samsung’s design team for the canned automobile project it started with Renault.

It will be interesting to see if this change of hands will have any distinct visible effect in the coming Galaxy smartphones, particular in the next flagship devices. In the meantime, Chang isn’t exactly saying farewell to Samsung, as he will still be overseeing the company’s overall design strategy as head of Samsung’s design center.